Protective pads, helmets, gloves, special footgear, colorful clothing and other apparel and equipment have become more popular (and more expensive) for a variety of sports. Proper care and conditioning of such equipment is important so that the equipment lasts longer and is comfortable and safe to wear. Soccer, hockey, football, lacrosse and even inline skating are examples of sports that typically require protective elbow pads, knee pads, shin pads, gloves, helmets, special footwear, and, in the case of hockey and inline skating, skates, which are frequently made of leather. Through use, such equipment becomes damp from sweat. When the equipment is used frequently, such as for daily practice and games, unless it is stored and conditioned properly, it does not dry between uses, but stays damp and becomes smelly and unsanitary. This problem is compounded during periods when, for example, the equipment is used for a tournament or training camp, in which it is typically used several times a day, perhaps for several days in a row.
Another problem, particularly for junior sports, is storage and organization of the equipment. Many sports involve traveling and transportation of the equipment. When packing the equipment, it is easy to overlook and omit one piece of equipment. However, in many sports, if a player does not have all the equipment, he or she cannot participate in the sport.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,750 to Eichten discloses a portable clothing and equipment dryer that can be stored in a suitcase-like container. Eichten teaches using a warm air blower to dry the clothes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,849 to Martin discloses a sports equipment rack for storing equipment.
Such prior art devices, however, have various drawbacks. The Martin device does not provide for drying or sanitation of the equipment. The Eichten device teaches drying with warm air, which tends to increase the smell and unsanitary aspect of damp, sweaty sports equipment and apparel. Eichten also teaches placing articles to be dried directly on conduit members, an arrangement that would tend to block the flow of air to the articles. The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art designs in that it provides a sports equipment conditioner that simultaneously serves as a movable equipment storage rack, dryer, and deodorizer and also provides an antifungal feature that can be used for a wide variety of sizes and types of sports equipment.